Mardi Gras Traditions

New Orleans' most famous celebration, Mardi Gras, is also one of the most photographed events in the world. Beyond the floats, marching bands and special “throws,” like the prized strings of beads tossed into the crowd, there is a series of unique festivities which have evolved as part of the African-American experience.

The Zulu Parade

Zulu Parade Float

The Prized Zulu Coconut

Mardi Gras Indian in Full Regalia

Flambeaux Carrier

The Zulu Parade gets an early start for Carnival participants when the king and queen of the “krewe” arrive on the Monday before Fat Tuesday on a Mississippi River barge to officially kick-off the Lundi Gras riverside outdoor festival.   On Mardi Gras Day, Zulus board their floats before dawn for the oldest African-American parade, sponsored by the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, Inc.

Most believe that Zulu began when a group of laborers attended a musical comedy at the Pythian temple Theater in New Orleans and were inspired by a scene about the Zulu tribe. However, the roots of this colorful organization actually began with the formation of a benevolent aid society established to provide an early form of insurance in the black community. The group first marched in 1901, but became known as the Zulus officially in 1909.

The much-desired Zulu coconut, or “golden nugget,” became a Carnival throw in 1910. Today, the elaborate painted keepsake remains a crowd pleaser as the parade rolls along the traditional St. Charles Avenue parade route, as well as through African-American neighborhoods. Dressed in controversial blackface and grass skirts, Zulu royalty has counted among its kings Louis Armstrong who served in 1949. The parade sports special “float characters of Zululand,” including the Big Shot, the Witch Doctor and the Soulful Warriors. Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, Inc.; Headquarters, 732 North Broad St.; Zulu Memorabilia Shop, 722 North Broad St.;  (504) 827-1559

Mardi Gras Indians

Tracing their roots back to a time when American Indians helped shield runaway slaves, the Mardi Gras Indians are among the most colorful and mysterious of New Orleans' cultural phenomena. Their fantastic costumes are unforgettable hand-sewn creations of intricate beadwork and dramatic images which rank among the nation's best folk art. Worn just once, the costumes take an entire year to create, with hundreds of thousands of beads and feathers sewn on by hand.

There are more than 50 Indian “gangs” in the city and each march to the beat of their own drummer, literally. With a formal hierarchy of chiefs, spy boys and other unique monikers, the Indians parade on special days including Mardi Gras, St. Joseph's Night or one of two “Super Sundays” in March. Gracing the streets of New Orleans neighborhoods in friendly competition over which chief is the “prettiest,” you may catch sight of the Indians at traditional gathering places like Shakespeare Park, at the corner of Washington Avenue and LaSalle Street uptown; at the intersection of Orleans and North Claiborne Avenues, near Armstrong Park; at Hunter's Field at the corner of North Claiborne and St. Bernard Avenues; or at the Backstreet Cultural Museum, where the history and costumes are displayed at 1116 St. Claude St. in the heart of the historic Tremé neighborhood.

The Flambeaux Tradition

Lighting up the sky with heavy blazing torches, the flambeaux carrier originally served as a beacon for parade-goers to better enjoy the spectacle of night festivities. Initially, the flambeaux were established by the old-line Carnival organization Comus, which sought to make “new people and customs the salvation of Mardi Gras.” The sight of African-Americans lighting the way of the elaborate floats was unforgettable. Now, incorporated in modern processionals, the torchbearers are not only a historic footnote, but serve as a world-class example of performance art. The torches may be lighter and use butane or kerosene, but the entertaining exchange between the crowd and the flambeaux is a rich Carnival tradition.